Ben Parry interview: A collective voice

'Paul McCartney was sitting next to me playing one of his pieces that I had arranged, and he asked me, “what chord should be there?” He asked me what chord to use!’ It is safe to say Ben Parry, the artistic director and principal conductor of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (NYCGB), has had a spectacular career so far. Now blushing from such a blatant (but fully justified) name drop, these days Parry proudly puts his efforts into the next generation of musical talent, working closely with youth choirs as well as spending time on other projects.

The beauty of choral singing is something that Parry strives to share with every young person, a mission that underlines NYCGB's learning and engagement work across the country. ‘The wonderful thing about being in a room with singers is that the room resonates,’ says Parry. ‘It is not just your body that is resonating; it is the room and the chair behind you. It is the walls and the floor. That wonderful feeling of hearing live music in a room is something that we've missed throughout the pandemic.’